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Over the last few years, creators have been taking over the Cote d’Azure during Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. And marketers better get used to it, because at the 2024 event, there will be an entire fringe festival dedicated to them.
Lions Creators will run alongside the annual flagship event from June 18-20. Cannes Lions chief executive Simon Cook told ADWEEK the new experience will include a curated mix of learning and networking experiences for creators and those working in the wider creator economy.
Anyone wishing to attend the three-day event must purchase a $1,200 pass. Preference will be given to creators and their teams, independent creator marketing agencies, consultants and talent agencies.
If someone working in one of these fields wanted to attend both Cannes Lions and Lions Creators, the average price would be just over $5600 based on the cost of a “classic” tier guest pass for the former.
Cook said, following customer feedback from previous years, Lions Creators has been designed to help creators scale their business and navigate brand deals.
“We also uncovered a lack of understanding when it comes to the creator economy – agencies face challenges dealing with brands who don’t ‘get’ the creator world, while content creators feel that brands do not fully understand the extent of what they do and how powerful it can be for them,” he added, giving some color on what to expect from the inaugural event.
Activities will include a series of exclusive roundtables about the challenges facing this fast-moving space, bringing together leading voices across the big players in the creator marketing economy, including platforms, brands, creators and agencies. This new content strand will also incorporate the Social & Influencer Lions Awards Show.
For its first year, the fringe event will be sponsored by influencer marketing agency Viral Nation, who works with creators including Yuri Lamasbella and Nick Pro.
Creators plant their flag in the sand
The decision from Cannes Lions to spin off creator content from its main program comes as Goldman Sachs says the creator economy is a $250 billion industry that could reach $480 billion by 2027. As per eMarkter, 75% of brands currently collaborate with creators.
